Thermoelectric generator devices have been used for many years for specific applications where the simplicity of design warrants their use despite low energy conversion efficiency.
The voltage produced by a thermoelectric generator device depends on the Seebeck voltage of the dissimilar metals used. Seebeck voltages are higher for some semiconductor materials especially n-type and p-type elements made primarily of mixtures of bismuth, tellurium, selenium and antimony.
To compete with more traditional forms of heat to electricity conversion thermoelectric generator devices must be as efficient as possible. A preferred means to achieve such high efficiency is to arrange the thermoelectric generator elements in a circle with only a very small region used to extract the energy produced by the thermoelectric generator elements.
Patent PCT/US97/07922 to Schroeder discloses such a circular arrangement. Art teaching in this case focused on 3 means to extract energy for the high current in the ring of elements; 1—a vibrating mechanical switch, 2—a Hall effect generator and 3—a Colpits oscillator. Coatings of hot and cold elements of the thermoelectric generator device are claimed for selenium, tellurium and antimony among others but not for mixtures of these elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,242 to Konishi, et al. discloses semiconductor material of the formula AB2, X4 where A is one of or a mixture of Pb, Sn, or Ge, B is one of or a mixture of Bi and Sb and X is one of or a mixture of Te and Se. These represent Pb, Sn or Ge doped bismuth telluride.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,802 to Fukuda, describes a sintering method of making semiconductor material whose principle components include bismuth, tellurium selenium and antimony.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,787 to Simeray discloses a thermoelectric generator component of bismuth doped with antimony and bismuth tellurium doped with selenium wherein said components are arranged into a rod. Very low voltages are converted using a self-oscillating circuit at the expense of power output.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,427 describes the use of a thermoelectric generator device on the exhaust portion of a combustion-based car using an electrically driven wheel wherein excess heat energy is converted to electric power for the vehicle.
Published US application 20040134200 to Schroeder, et al., entitled “Torus Semiconductor Thermoelectric Chiller” describes the combination of a semiconductor thermoelectric generator device and absorption chiller to produce refrigeration and facilitate the collection of water from air.
Published U.S. patent application 2003/0217766 to Schroeder, et al. entitled “Torus Semiconductor Thermoelectric Device” describes a circular array of semiconductor elements utilizing individual casting of wafer components.
Wire saws have been used in the semiconductor industry for some time. U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,111 to Kazunori Onizaki, et al., uses a wire saw to cut single silicon crystals and cutting is done by pressing the ingots against the wire. U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,928 to Akira Nakashima utilizes a jig to improve cutting of silicon wafers and cuts by pressing the ingot against the wires.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,617,504 to Takeshi Kajihara, et al., uses a mixture of bismuth telluride and antimony telluride as a semiconductor but doped the mixture with a dopant of p-type or dopant of n-type. The mixtures are made into small globules for particular applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,392 to Yasunori Sato, et al., teaches the use of Bi1.5Sb0.5Te3 to prepare p-type semiconductors for hot pressing and cold pressing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,802 to Katsushi Fukuda, et al., uses the composition Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 for p-type semiconductor manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,810 to Allan Gelb, et al., teaches the use of a p-type semiconductor comprising 75 mole percent antimony telluride, 25 mole percent bismuth telluride with 3 percent excess tellurium, and 6.1 percent lead.